[KOREA] EXPLORING BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE & HANBOK RENTAL – Seoul

Finally another bucket list checked, visiting Hanok Village in Seoul while wearing Korea traditional Hanbok. In this post we’re going to share you a close look of the famous Hanok Village and also our Hanbok rental eexperience.

There’s no better way to explore a country than going to the old town while wearing the traditional outfit, it’s more memorable way to travel and it gives a fuller experience.

Bukchon Hanok Village is one of the most popular and touristy spots in Seoul, and exploring the small alley with traditional houses while wearing traditional Korean dress or Hanbok together with the love of my life Mr. Jajan has been one of my dreams and it finally came true❤️

HANBOK RENTAL
First lets talk about hanbok rental, you can find tons of hanbok rental shops in Bukchon area as well as Insadong area. Unlike Kimono shops in Kyoto, majority hanbok shops in Seoul don’t require reservation or booking, you can simply walk-in and rent the outfit.

Since Bukchon area is strategically located near the famous Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, we chose a shop in Bukchon area called Hanboknam. There are two main categories of Hanbok available in Hanboknam, Themed or Charactor Hanbok ranging from KRW 20k to KRW 50k and Traditional Hanbok ranging from IDR 10k to IDR 30k.

For the duration of rental, there are 4 options; 1.5hours, 2.5hours, 4hours or all-day pass. The price for all-day pass for Traditional/ Regular Hanbok is KRW 30k, then Themed/ Charactor Hanbok is KRW 50k.

FYI, here are the rules:
1. Choosing time is a half hour. If you exceed 30 minutes, the exceeding time will included renting time.
2. You can try on Hanbok twice.
3. If you exceed return time there is extra charge.
4. If Hanbok is damaged or polluted, there is extra charge. So be careful.
5. If you lost accessories and locker key, you should pay for the lost goods.

Besides it’s cheaper, the reason we chose the Regular Hanbok is because we want to get more basic style for more traditional look but in the end we regret it, the option for Traditional hanbok is very limited compared to Themed Hanbok, there are basically only one small section for us to choose, we should’ve spend more and get the themed one instead😅

The staff inside will help you to get dressed and style your hair. Since we got the all-day pass, we can basically explore the whole town while wearing hanbok and return it before the closing time.

BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE
Bukchon Hanok Village is one of the beautiful area that are worth visiting, here you can find hundreds of hanok or Korean traditional houses being well preserved.

Me and Mr. Jajan are totally impressed by how well preserved the houses are. Up until now the old traditional houses are still inhabited by people, so make sure you don’t make too much noise so you won’t disturb the residents.

Exploring the village while wearing hanbok feels like we are in K-drama 😁. Each corner is seriously super insta-worthy, so make sure you bring your camera and get a nice picture there.

In this area many hanok houses are transformed into cultural centers, guesthouses, restaurants and tea houses so you can visit and take a look of the interior of Korean traditional house.

CHA-TEUL TEA HOUSE (차마시는뜰)
One of a must try experience around Bukchon Hanok Village is to visit traditional tea house. There are many interesting tea houses to choose especially in Samcheong-dong near Bukchon Hanok Village within walking distance.

After a long research, I chose a cafe called Cha-Teul and it was just PERFECT! Cha-teul has gotta be one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL tea cafes we’ve ever visited in Seoul. The cafe situated in traditional hanok house is located on hilltop.

GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE
Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the most popular and the most touristy spots in Seoul. Out of five palaces in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung is certainly the largest, the most beautiful and most famous one.

The admission fee for Gyeongbokgung Palace is KRW 3,000 but you get enter it for FREE if you wear hanbok.

AnakJajan gotta say that Bukchon Hanok Village is one of our favorite spots in Seoul, it offers a different traditional side of Seoul. Exploring Bukchon Hanok Village feels like we travel back into the past, and the experience becomes even more memorable by wearing Hanbok. If you’re planning to visit Seoul, make sure to put this place in your itinerary.

Love your set of pictures! I will be heading to Seoul soon. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can advise me on.

1) What time do you recommend to head to Bukchon Hanbok Village? It seems like you nailed the timing, there isn’t much random photobombers in your pictures. Haha!
2) Did you use a tripod for your pictures in this post? It looks spot on. I am contemplating I feel I should buy a tripod anot as it seems cumbersome to carry around.

Thank you 🙂
1) We would recommend you to avoid weekend and as early as possible to avoid photobomber. We went there after lunch, there were quite a lot of tourists during out visit, we were just lucky to capture our photos at the right timing.
2) Nope we didn’t use tripod for this trip since we travelled with our friend so we can ask their help. Tripod might helo if you travel along but it can be troublesome to use it at crowded touristy spot.
Have fun in Seoul!